"These games are so hard to win with all the preparation and you have to play well to win especially on the road in this league," Beard said. "I am happy for our guys. Defensively we dialed in. I think we played our fullest 40 minutes of the year defensively."

Texas Tech (21-4, 9-3) relied on strong second-half defense. After a 27-27 deadlock in the first half, the Red Raiders turned up the pressure.

"They were denying return passes so we had to adjust from running a couple of days." Cartier Diarra said. "I still feel like we adjusted pretty well. I feel like we got shots that we wanted, but they just did not fall."

Texas Tech has a good chance of moving into the top five after an upset-filled week.

THEY SAID IT

"When they get that eight-point lead, it's like playing a team that runs the Wishbone in football. They do a good job protecting their lead, they tough, they're physical. They're one of the best defensive teams in the nation." — Kansas State coach Bruce Weber on Texas Tech's defense.

STATS AND STREAKS

During the current six-game winning streak, Texas Tech has held opponents to 63.3 points per game.